Aspiring applicants say that Japan is looking to add more English speakers to their aging work force in preparation for the upcoming Olympic games there.

“It opens a lot more opportunities because before Japan is not that open to foreigners. But because of the recent Olympics 2020 they’re trying to open up more and people have bilingual skills –who can speak in both in English and Japanese– are very much in need there,” Gummy Inocencio explained.

MORE FROM FHM.COM.PH

One of Japan’s stringent employment requirements for foreigners is passing their Nihongo language proficiency exam, which Filipinos have been known to score poorly in. Due to this, the country has only been able to send nearly 2,000 healthcare workers to Japan in the past eight years.

But the POEA believes that it’s highly likely that Japan will lift the language proficiency exam requirement this time around.